Abu Dhabi is setting Emiratisation targets specifically for private-school teaching, combining employer recruitment pledges with training routes to widen access for UAE nationals over five years.
The policy sets a five-year aim to integrate more than 2,000 UAE nationals into teaching roles at Abu Dhabi private schools, the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) said Friday, Oct. 23. The figure is a policy target; ADEK did not report the hires as completed.
Recruitment is expected to proceed in stages, initially concentrating on Social Studies, Arabic and Islamic Studies. ADEK said it will work with all private schools in the emirate to put the policy into effect. Schools are to have access to screened UAE national candidates, funded qualification programs, practice in school settings and connections to employment.
Taaleem pledged to bring in more than 200 Emirati educators; commitments by SABIS, GEMS Education, International Community Schools and Liwa Education are for more than 150, 120, 77 and 61, respectively. ADEK's announcement did not set annual milestones or individual school quotas.
The NAFIS Teachers Program, delivered by Emirates College for Advanced Education with ADEK, offers Teacher and Teacher Assistant pathways. Trainees who qualify for the Teacher pathway may receive a stipend of up to AED4,000 per month while training; ADEK tied the payment to that pathway.
The plan follows ADEK's May 2026 partnership with Aldar Education, which committed to creating more than 300 opportunities for Emirati educators. In the May announcement, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of Aldar and Aldar Education, called Emiratisation “a nation-building imperative.”
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) reported in July that more than 190,000 Emiratis worked in the private sector across nearly 32,000 companies. It also said 95% of establishments covered by Emiratisation policies met their targets for the first half of 2026.
